Members of the Potato Growers of Idaho agreed to form a committee to seek out solutions for a more efficient and representative organization at their annual summer meeting June 4-5 at the Elkhorn Resort at Sun Valley.
Dan Moss, Declo, ID, grower and interim president of PGI, was named chairman. The committee will be given 30 days to explore the formation of a new grower/industry organization, how dues should be paid, and if it should remain a voluntary organization.
Moss was named acting president when Keith Esplin, Blackfoot, ID, resigned when he could not get financing to plant potatoes this spring. Esplin has since been named interim executive director of PGI.
During the meeting, there was a lot of talk about process growers forming their own organization. Steve Young, a Rupert, ID, grower suggested that there be three organizations, one for process growers, one for seed growers, and one for fresh growers.
The committee is composed of three process growers, three fresh growers and three seed growers and alternates.
Resolutions supported the Idaho Potato Commission's taking over funding of the National Potato Council and chemical registration issues, forming an alerting network, and holding more meetings with growers.
The Commission has been under scrutiny for some time because it has been given a very narrow focus by state law to handle advertising and promotion. Many in the industry want the Commission's duties expanded to make better use of the 10-cent/cwt assessment levied on growers.